Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly series hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we’re eagerly awaiting. This week I’m choosing When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. I’ve been so EAGERLY anticipating this one that I can’t even put it into words. I absolutely love the concept of the story- an Indian girl and boy head to a summer program for web developers. Dimple is interested in going and escaping her parents who keep pressuring her to find the perfect Indian husband. Meanwhile, they’ve actually set up an arranged marriage with Rishi’s parents and Rishi is a traditionalist and a romantic. He’s so excited to go to this program, meet his future wife and sweep her off of her feet. The parents hadn’t planned on introducing their children so early in life but since they’re both gravitating toward the same program, they figure, why not! I’ve never read a contemporary book about an arranged marriage before and I’m so excited to learn more about the tradition with a summer program for web developers as a setting! I’ve actually never screamed so much upon receiving an ARC. My husband and brother were both overwhelmed by my enthusiasm and I had to excuse myself from conversation IMMEDIATELY so I could go photograph my new book<3

A laugh-out-loud, heartfelt YA romantic comedy, told in alternating perspectives, about two Indian-American teens whose parents have arranged for them to be married.

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly series hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we’re eagerly awaiting. This week I’m choosing The Ends of the World by Maggie Hall which is the third and final book in The Conspiracy of Us trilogy. The series is often referred to as The Da Vinci Code for teens… except it’s really good! The first book wasn’t my favorite but the second definitely upped the stakes and I love the turn the the story took. If you’ve read the first two books, you’ll also know that the title of the third is very appropriate. Previously, each book debuted in January but the finale has been pushed back to mid-July of 2017. I’m kind of excited to have this to look forward to mid-year since January is usually a pretty big month for book releases. And I love the new cover. The purple dress is so pretty!

The Circle is hers.

But Avery West has lost everything else: her mother, the family she’d just found, and the one boy she trusted. In their place are unfathomable power, a staged relationship that makes her question every real feeling she’s ever had, and a mission to find the cure to the virus that’s made her own blood a weapon.

Then disaster strikes, turning Avery, Stellan, Jack, and Elodie into the most wanted people in the world. To clear their names and the growing rift between the families of the Circle before the world dissolves into World War Three, they’ll have to make a desperate, dangerous final race for Alexander the Great’s tomb. What they will find inside will mean the world’s salvation—or destruction.

Avery will have to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice—for the world, for family, and for love—in this thrilling conclusion to the Conspiracy of Us series. (via Goodreads)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly series hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we’re eagerly awaiting. This week I’m choosing This is Our Story by Ashley Elston. In addition to the hauntingly beautiful cover (seriously, the shadows of the 5 boys, the deceased one having a hunted deer head and the typography of This is Our Story also saying His Story, it’s just brilliant), the synopsis of this book gives me Raven Boys vibes (only because there are four boy best friends, not because the story seems at all similar). There was a fifth but he mysteriously died when the five of them went into the woods one day. None of the surviving boys are talking although any of them could be the killer. It ends up falling to Kate Marino to solve the case of the River Point Boys and get justice for Grant. I love a good mystery and I have such high hopes for this one! I’m planning on reading it as soon as its delivered!

No one knows what happened that morning at River Point. Five boys went hunting. Four came back. The boys won’t say who fired the shot that killed their friend; the evidence shows it could have been any one of them.

Kate Marino’s senior year internship at the District Attorney’s Office isn’t exactly glamorous—more like an excuse to leave school early that looks good on college applications. Then the DA hands her boss, Mr. Stone, the biggest case her small town of Belle Terre has ever seen. The River Point Boys are all anyone can talk about. Despite their damning toxicology reports the morning of the accident, the DA wants the boys’ case swept under the rug. He owes his political office to their powerful families.

Kate won’t let that happen. Digging up secrets without revealing her own is a dangerous line to walk; Kate has her own reasons for seeking justice for Grant. As she and Stone investigate—the ageing prosecutor relying on Kate to see and hear what he cannot—she realizes that nothing about the case—or the boys—is what it seems. Grant wasn’t who she thought he was, and neither is Stone’s prime suspect. As Kate gets dangerously close to the truth, it becomes clear that the early morning accident might not have been an accident at all—and if Kate doesn’t uncover the true killer, more than one life could be on the line…including her own. (via Goodreads)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly series hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we’re eagerly awaiting. This week I’m choosing Norse Mythologyby Neil Gaiman because I love me some Neil Gaiman! I’ve always been interested in Norse mythology and Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors so the fact that he’s going to be retelling these myths in his own prose is like music to my ears. The stunning cover was released earlier last week and I absolutely love the design. It prominently features Thor’s hammer against a cosmic backdrop. Serious heart eyes.

Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people. Gaiman stays true to the myths while vividly reincarnating Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, the son of a giant, a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator. From Gaiman’s deft and witty prose emerge the gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to dupe others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again. (via Goodreads)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly series hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we’re eagerly awaiting. This week I’m choosing The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. I adored her debut novel Everything, Everything so I’ve been anticipating her follow up since last year. This book is a love story between Natasha and Daniel who meet on a crowded street in NYC only hours before Natasha’s family is getting deported to Jamaica and the description leads me to believe that we’ll see multiple futures play out until we know which one comes true. I really hope Nicola’s husband will be illustrating this book as well!

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true? (via Goodreads)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly series hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we’re eagerly awaiting. This week I’m choosing Fireworks by Katie Cotugno. I finally read my first Katie Cotugno book last week and she’s now one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her writing is just so pretty and enjoyable and I basically devoured 99 Days. I also love reading her blog and her twitter and I seriously cannot get enough of her<3 Her newest book Fireworks takes place in Orlando in the 1990s during the boy and girl band craze and it follows two best friends competing to be next big popstar. I absolutely love the cover for Fireworks and I love that it has the same aesthetic as 99 Days.

From Katie Cotugno, bestselling author of 99 Days, comes Fireworks—about a girl who is competing with her best friend to become the new pop star of the moment—and all the drama and romance that comes with it—set in Orlando during the late-’90s boy-and-girl-band craze.

It was always meant to be Olivia. She was the talented one, the one who had been training to be a star her whole life. Her best friend, Dana, was the level-headed one, always on the sidelines, cheering her best friend along.

But everything changes when Dana tags along with Olivia to Orlando for the weekend, where superproducer Guy Monroe is holding auditions for a new singing group, and Dana is discovered too. Dana, who’s never sung more than Olivia’s backup. Dana, who wasn’t even looking for fame. Next thing she knows, she and Olivia are training to be pop stars, and Dana is falling for Alex, the earnest, endlessly talented boy who’s destined to be the next big thing.

It should be a dream come true, but as the days of grueling practice and constant competition take their toll, things between Olivia and Dana start to shift . . . and there’s only room at the top for one girl. For Olivia, it’s her chance at her dream. For Dana, it’s a chance to escape a future that seems to be closing in on her. And for these lifelong best friends, it’s the adventure of a lifetime—if they can make it through.

Set in evocative 1990s Orlando, New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno’s Fireworks brings to life the complexity of friendship, the excitement of first love, and the feeling of being on the verge of greatness. (via Goodreads)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly series hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we’re eagerly awaiting. This week I’m choosing Starfall by Melissa Landers which is the second book in the Starflight series. I haven’t read the first book just yet but it arrived here yesterday. I can tell you that it’s a sci-fi book and it takes place on a spaceship. But the real reason I’m anticipating this one is because of the beautiful cover that was recently released. It’s actually what inspired me to pick up the first one! I’ll leave the synopsis down below, but I’m not even going to read it because I don’t want to spoil myself!

When Princess Cassia Rose fled her home world of Eturia to escape an arranged marriage to a bloodthirsty prince and prevent a coup, she had no idea her sudden departure would spark a war. Now after two years hiding as a lowly ship hand, she finally has the chance to return home and make peace, but not in the way she imagined. Shackled by bounty hunters, she is violently dragged back to account for her crimes. Her only solace is that the Banshee crew managed to evade capture, including Kane Arric, her best friend… with occasional benefits.

Meanwhile, Kane and the rest of the crew of the Banshee, including Solara and Doran, are planning a desperate rescue mission. But when they arrive on Eturia, they find Cassia ruling her home planet, having imprisoned the rogue prince who would have overthrown her family. Deep down, Kane knows that Cassia can’t rule her world and be with the bastard son of a business man, but he’s also sure she returns his feelings, and that makes the circumstances all the more painful. When the outer realms are threatened by the dangerous Zhang mafia, Cassia, Kane and the rest of the Banshee crew rally to protect the population from widespread enslavement. The reunion forces Cassia to consider who her true family is and if she can live without the boy who has been there for her through thick and thin. (via Goodreads)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly series hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we’re eagerly awaiting. This week I’m choosing The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli because I will read anything Becky Albertalli writes! I sincerely hope that The Upside of Unrequited can capture even half of the magic of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda because it would be an immediate favorite. The cover for this book was just recently released and I love the colors. It perfectly compliments the Simon cover so I’m envisioning many bookstagram photos of the pair of them<3

“I don’t entirely understand how anyone gets a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. It just seems like the most impossible odds. You have to have a crush on the exact right person at the exact right moment. And they have to like you back.”

What does a sixteen-year-old girl have to do to kiss a boy? Molly Peskin-Suso wishes she knew. She’s crushed on twenty-six guys…but has kissed exactly none. Her twin sister Cassie’s advice to “just go for it” and “take a risk” isn’t that helpful. It’s easy for her to say: she’s had flings with lots of girls. She’s fearless and effortlessly svelte, while Molly is introverted and what their grandma calls zaftig.

Then Cassie meets Mina, and for the first time ever, Cassie is falling in love. While Molly is happy for her twin, she can’t help but feel lonelier than ever. But Cassie and Mina are determined to end Molly’s string of unrequited crushes once and for all. They decide to set her up with Mina’s friend Will, who is ridiculously good-looking, flirty, and seems to be into Molly. Perfect, right? But as Molly spends more time with Reid, her cute, nerdy co-worker, her feelings get all kinds of complicated. Now she has to decide whether to follow everyone’s advice…or follow her own heart. (via Goodreads)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly series hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we’re eagerly awaiting. This week I’m choosing Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige. Stealing Snow is a retelling of the Snow Queen!! The story takes place in modern day New York where Snow has spent most of her life in a mental hospital. She dreams about a strange tree and breaks free into the nearby forest and starts to discover who she really is. The final line of the synopsis is what really gets me: “the story of how Snow becomes a villain, a Queen and ultimately a hero.”

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent the majority of her life within the walls of the Whittaker Institute, a high security mental hospital in upstate New York. Deep down, she knows she’s not crazy and doesn’t belong there. When she meets a mysterious, handsome new orderly and dreams about a strange twisted tree she realizes she must escape and figure out who she really is.

Using her trusting friend Bale as a distraction, Snow breaks free and races into the nearby woods. Suddenly, everything isn’t what it seems, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, and she finds herself in icy Algid–her true home–with witches, thieves, and a strangely alluring boy named Kai, none of whom she’s sure she can trust. As secret after secret is revealed, Snow discovers that she is on the run from a royal lineage she’s destined to inherit, a father more powerful and ruthless than she could have imagined, and choices of the heart that could change the fate of everything…including Snow’s return to the world she once knew.

This breathtaking first volume begins the story of how Snow becomes a villain, a queen, and ultimately a hero. (via Goodreads)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly series hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we’re eagerly awaiting. This week I’m choosing The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee. This new series is pitched as Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars so it seems like one of those quick-read sort of guilty pleasure type books. I’m particularly interested in this series though because while it seems like a contemporary, there’s a sci-fi twist. The story takes place in Manhattan in 2118 in the now tallest building in the world, a skyscraper with 1,000 floors. The main characters are all rich NYC kids living on the thousandth floor and the story kicks off with someone falling to their death. Color me intrigued!

New York City as you’ve never seen it before. A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future, where anything is possible—if you want it enough.

Welcome to Manhattan, 2118.

A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. But people never change: everyone here wants something…and everyone has something to lose.

Leda Cole’s flawless exterior belies a secret addiction—to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched.

Eris Dodd-Radson’s beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart.

Rylin Myers’s job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world—and a romance—she never imagined…but will her new life cost Rylin her old one?

Watt Bakradi is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he’s hired to spy by an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies.

And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is Avery Fuller, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all—yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.

Debut author Katharine McGee has created a breathtakingly original series filled with high-tech luxury and futuristic glamour, where the impossible feels just within reach. But in this world, the higher you go, the farther there is to fall…. (via Goodreads)